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The heritage of the past is the hope for the future

If the 800 years since Magna Carta have taught us anything, it is that when the lessons of history are learned by the young, then the mistakes of history are less likely to be repeated.

The 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta will provide an enormous opportunity for seeking active engagement from schools across the globe in the areas of history, citizenship and democracy. The last significant anniversary (in 1962) was well before the dawning of the internet and therefore was unable to benefit from the enormous possibilities that its global reach now provides. Students the world over can now have instant access to the very best in learning and digital imaging. Resources can be published, shared, discussed and accessed by classrooms from Canterbury to California.

In July 2013, the Department for Education published a framework document for the National Curriculum in England. The teaching of Magna Carta is relevant in both the citizenship and history parts of the National Curriculum. In history, Magna Carta is specifically mentioned in Key Stage 3; in citizenship, the principles promoted by Magna Carta are relevant to both Key Stage 3 and 4. For more information, click here.

The Magna Carta Project: a landmark investigation into Magna Carta 1215 and 1225 providing text, translations and expert commentaries, together with the itinerary and original charters of King John of England (1199-1216), provided by an academic team led by Professor Nicholas Vincent at the University of East Anglia.

To mark the 750th anniversary of the De Montford Parliament & the Battle of Lewes UK Parliament has online educational resources & an audio drama. These videos can be played directly from Parliament’s website onto schools’ interactive whiteboards or computers and can be used to support existing lesson plans. Click here for more information

Parliament has also released a Magna Carta video drama that can be used as an educational resource. These resources are suitable for Citizenship lessons exploring the origins of the rights of the people, or History, specifically as part of the KS3 ‘Magna Carta and the Emergence of Parliament’ curriculum. Click here for more information.

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Featured Article

Sir Robert Worcester

Chairman, Magna Carta Committee

Today is the very anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta, that great charter which laid down the basis for English common law, now spread throughout the world. Magna Carta gave protection of law against despotism by...